Steering-gear for vehicles.



PATBNTBD Nov. s, 1903.

A. 7. 5 QW 3 4 7 m N STEERING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

v APPLICATION FILED rms. 9, 1903. No MODEL.

VUNITED STATES Patented November 3, 1933.

PATENT OFFICE.

STEERING-G EAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,357, dated November 3,1903. Application filed February 9, 1903. Serial No. 142.455. (No model.) l

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. WAUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented new and usef ul Improvements in Steering-Gear for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to a steering-gearfor horseless vehicles, the object of the invention being to provide a strong, simple, and easilyin two parts, a steering-rod and a rotatoryscrew, both journaled in said casing, bevelgears rotatably connecting said rod and screw, a nut having screw-threaded engagement with said screw, and specic means by which the nut is prevented from rotating.

The invention again consists in certain irnproved adjusting means whereby wear or backlash between the parts is eliminated.

The invention nally consists in the combination and arrangement of parts s et` forth in the following speciication,and particularly pointed out in the claims'thereof.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of my improved steering-gear. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking toward the left in said .gure Fig. 3 is a detail side and end elevation of one of the journal-bearing boxes. Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail side and end elevation of another of the journal-bearing boxes. Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a modified arrangement of the bevel-gears with relation to the steering-rod. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic front view of the gears and rod illustrated in Fig. 7.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 is a casing formed in two parts 1l and 12, held firmly together by bolts 9 9.

13 is the steering-rod, which extends upwardly at a suitable angle from the casing 10 and is provided at its upper end with a steering-wheel, (not shown in the drawings,) by means of which it may be conveniently rotated.

The steering-rod 13 is journaled in a journal-box 14, which is rectangular in cross-section and is held firmly in position between the two parts 11 and 12 of the casing 10. The journal-box 14 is provided at its-upper end with a flange 15 and bears at its lower end against a collar 16, encircling the rod 13.

The steering-rod 13 is prevented from moving `longitudinally in the box 14 by a collar 17, which bears against the ange 15 upon said journalbox, and by a bevel-gear 18, which bears against the collar 16. The bevelgear 18 is held againsta shoulder on the steering-rod 13 by a nut 18 and is prevented from `rotating thereon by a key 20.

, The bevel-gear 18 meshes into another bevel- 'gear 21, fast to a rotary screw 22, which is jour- `naled to rotate in boxes 23 42, said boxes being rectangular in cross-section and clamped between the two parts of the casing 10. Flanges 24 and 41 are provided upon the boxes 23 and dinally thereof, and arranged to slide in ways j 29, provided between the two parts of said casing, said ways being formed by means of ribs 130 30, extending downwardly from the interior of the two parts 11 and 12. The nut 27 is provided upon its under side with a rack 1 31, which extends longitudinally of said -nut and meshes into a segmental spur-gear 32, fastened to a steering-shaft 33, journaled to IOO rock in rectangular boxes 34 43. ing-shaft 33 has fastened thereto and preferably integral therewith a downwardly-projecting arm 35, which is connected by a link 48 to a steering-knuckle fast to the steeringaxle of the Vehicle. (Not shown, but well known to those skilled in this art.)

The boxes 34 43 are rectangular in crosssection and fit in recesses 36 36, provided in the two parts 11 and 12 of the casing 10. Said boxes may be adjusted, together with the shaft 33 and spur-gear 32, toward and away from the rack 31 by means of adjusting-screws 37, said adjusting-screws bearing against the under side of said boxes and having screwthreaded engagement with the two parts 11 and 12 of the casing. 'The adjusting-screws 37 are locked in position when the spur-gear has been adjusted to the proper height and relation to the rack 31 by means of the setnuts 38 38. The casing 10 is provided with flanges 39 39, which form a convenient means for attaching said casing to the frame o f the vehicle and form a tight joint therebetween,

so that the space inclosed between said parts may be lled with oil, and the bevel-gears,

screw, nut, rack, and segmental gear hereinthe box 34, Fig. 2; but the distance laterally across the outside of the boxes 43 and 34 is the same, so that said boxes are interchangeable in the recesses 36 in the frame to receive said boxes. Hence the steering-arm 35 may be reversed and placed upon the right side ot' the casing, Fig. 2, instead of upon the left, as therein shown.

- As the steering-rod 13 is rotated there is more or less wear and friction between the collar.17 and the Hange 15, and also between the bevel-gear 18, collar 16, and the lower end of the box 14, and also between the teeth of the bevel-gears 18 and 21. In order to take up this wear, an adjusting-screw 44 is provided, which is tapped through the flange l5 and bears against an ear 45 upon the casing 10. When the adjusting-screw is turned in the proper direction, it forces the box 14 upwardly, Fig. 1, rst taking up any wear between the flange 15 and collar 17 and then pushing the steering-rod, together with the bevel-gear 18, upwardly until the backlash between the teeth of the bevel-gears 18 and 2l is taken up. In order to take up any wear between the collars 25 and 26 on the rotary screw 22 and the boxes 23 and 42, in which said rotary screw rotates, adjusting-screws 46 46 are provided, Fig. 4. These adjustingscrews pass through ears 47 47 upon the journal-box 23 and have screw-threaded engagement with the casing l0, so that by turning said screws in the proper direction the box 23 may be forced toward the right, Fig. 1, push- The steering the collar 25 and screw 22 toward the right, together with the collar 26, until said collar 26 comes in contact with the flange 41 upon the box 42. It will thus be seen that substantially all of the running parts of my improved steering-gear may be readily adjusted from the exterior of the casing, rendering the device convenient and practical.

The general operation ot the device here? inbefore specifically described is as follows: The steering-rod 13 is rotated by means of a handle attached thereto, thus rotating the bevel-gears 18 and 21 and the screw 22. As the screw 22 is thus rotated the nut 27 is moved longitudinally of said screw, said nut being prevented from rotating by the feather 28, which slides longitudinally in the Ways 29. As the nut 27 is thus moved longitudinally of the screw 22 the rack 31 imparts a rotary motion to the spur-gear 32 and to the shaft 33, rocking the arm 35, and thus turning the steering axle and wheels at different angles through the link 36, connected thereto by a steering-knuckle. The vertical adjustment of the boxes 34, hereinbefore described, guards against any backlash or play between the teeth upon the rack 31 and upon the gear 32, thus guarding against any accidental change in position of the steering-axle with relation to the body of the vehicle.

It will be noted that the bevel-gear 18 islarger in diameter than the bevel-gear 21, so that by turning the steering-rod 13 through a slight angle an increased rotary motion will be imparted to the screw 22 and to the shaft 33, and thus for a certain result in the changing of the angle of the steering-axle with relation to the body of the "ehicle as compared with a certain angle of rotation imparted to the steering-rod 13 the lengthof the steering-arm 35 may be made much shorter, and

consequently much more rigid, thanwould be the case if the steeringwheel were applied vdirectly to the screw 22 or than would be the case if the gears 18 and 21 were of the same pitch-diameter.

In the form of my device *illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the arm 35moves in a vertical plane extending longitudinally ot' the vehicle; but in some cases it is desirable that said armshould move in a plane ex- .tending transversely of the vehicle and still that thev steering-rod 13 should be maintained in the same position with relation to the vehicle that it occupies in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. This result may be attained by placing the bevel-gears Vin the relation to each other shown in Figs.

IIO

is rotated by properly proportioning the pitch diameters of said bevel-gears, and thus the length of the steering-arm 35 may be shortened and said arm rendered stronger' and stier; also, the steering-rod 13 may be placed at different angles in a vertical plane extending longitudinally ofthe rotary screw 22, as hereinbefore set forth, and, further, the median line of the steering-rod 13 may be ar ranged in a vertical plane at right angles to the vertical plane in which the median line of the rotary screw 22 is located, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, and by such arrange' ment the link 36 be given a motion transversely of the vehicle instead of longitudinally of said vehicle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire by Letters Patent to secure, is

v1. In a steering-gear for vehicles, a casing in two parts, a rotary screw journaled in said casing, the longitudinal median Vplane of said screw coincident with the plane of division of said casing, ribs upon the interior of said casing parallel to and upon opposite sides, respectively, of .said plane, a nut" having screw-threaded engagement with said screw, and a feather upon said nut projecting therefrom between said ribs.

2. In a steering-gear for motor-vehicles, a casing in two parts, a steering-rod, a rotary screw, both journaled in said casing, the longitudinal median plane of said screw and steering-rod coincidentwith the plane of division of said casing, ribs upon the interior o f said casing parallel to and upon opposite sides, respectively, of said plane, bevel-gears rotatably connecting said rodv and screw, a nut having screw-threaded engagement with said screw, and a feather upon said nut projecting therefrom between said ribs.

3. In a steeringgear for motor-vehicles, a casingin two parts, journal-bearing boxes clamped between said parts, a rotary screw journaled in said boxes, the longitudinal me dian plane of said screw coincident with the plane of division of said casing, ribs upon the interior of said casing parallel to and upon opposite sides, respectively, of said plane, a nut having screw-threaded engagement with saidV screw, and a feather upon said nut pro` jecti ng therefrom between said ribs.

4. -In a steering-gear for motor-vehicles, a casing in two parts, journal-bearing boxes clamped between said parts, anges upon said journal-boxes arranged to bear against the interior of said casing, a rotary screw journaled in said boxes, collars fast to said screw at opposite ends thereof and bearing, respectively, against one of said flanges, and means to adj ust one of said journal-boxes longitudinally of said screw from the exterior of said casing. f

5. In a steering-gear for motor-vehicles, a casing in two parts, a steering-rod, a rotary screw, bevel-gears rotatably connecting said rod and screw, a journal-box in which said rod is journaled, and means to adjust one of said bevel-gears with relation to the other from the exterior of said casin g.

6. In a steering-gear for motor-vehicles, a j

casing in two parts, a steering-rod, a rotary screw, bevel-gears rotatably connecting said Vrod and screw, a journal-box in which said pose specified.

t 7. In a steering-gear, a casing in two parts, a steering-rod, a rotary screw, bevel-gears rotatably connecting said rod and screw, a jour nal-box in which said steering-rod is journaled, means to adj ust one of said bevel-gears, with relation to the other, and an adjustingscrew having screw threaded engagement with said box, the end of said screw adapted to bear against said casing and forming a means for adjusting said box and rod longitudinally thereof from the exterior of said casing.

8. In a steering-gear, a casing in two parts, a rotary screw, a nut having screw-threaded engagement with said screw, means to prevent said nut from rotating, ajournal-box in which said rotary screw is journaled, and means to adjust one of said boxes longitudinally of said screwfrom the exterior of said casingfor the purpose specied.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR L. WAUGII.

Witnesses:

CHARLES S. Goonme, ANNIE J. DAILEY.

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